BRA - Hettsheimer becomes a factor for NT

ZARAGOZA (ACB/Olympics) - Rafael Hettsheimer is a big man with a big future.

And that is very good news for Brazil, the team the 25-year-old power forward went into battle for this summer at the FIBA Americas Championship and evolved into one of Ruben Magnano's most important players.

At 2.09m, Hettsheimer averaged nine minutes in his first three games in Mar Del Plata but 18.9 in the last seven.

In their most important game, a Semi-Final clash Brazil needed to win to qualify for the Olympics, Hettsheimer had 14 points and eight rebounds.

He finished as Brazil's fourth-leading scorer in the FIBA Americas Championship at 9.2 points per game.

Hettsheimer, with Nene and Anderson Varejao possibly returning for the Olympics, is looking to solidify his place in the squad.

More performances like his on Sunday for CAI Zaragoza will help.

In front of 6,900 fans in the Pabellon Principe Felipe, he dominated, scoring 17 points and pulling down 15 rebounds.

When the game was over, he had a valuation of 32 and that earned him a share of the Player of the Week award with Hervé Touré of Blancos Rueda Valladolid.

Hettsheimer is fully devoted to Zaragoza, which is why he wore a huge smile on his face after the game.

"The red tide of the of Zaragoza has been important for this MVP, because without them and without my team-mates, I would not have been able to achieve this," Hettsheimer said.

"They have achieved it with me.

"I know our fans are always there when we need it and that motivates me more.

"They were there in the crucial times and their energy has reached us.

"The team knew how important this game was and they have proved it on the court."

Zaragoza played in a very tough ACB and the performance of Hettsheimer will determine how successful they are.

The club might sneak into the play-offs places, or battle against relegation.

Sunday marked just the second win in six games for Zaragoza, but he is optimistic.

"The truth is that I feel comfortable in this start to the league," he said.

"All my team-mates, the ones that were here last year and those new ones, have connected perfectly and everything is easier.

"We needed to win in order to leave behind two bad results and the important thing is that we won and our fans went home happy.

"Now I only think about Thursday's game against Blancos de Rueda Valladolid."

FIBA